Downstairs: a night of wild song and dance!Jen & the Gents[awry] psych ceilidhBlack CatHorndog Brass BandMCd by luckypockets

Upstairs: blissed out words and wondersHosted by Inky Fingers

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So we're relaunching the Save the Forest fundraising campaign in glorious style on March 3rd: [awry] are renting the whole of Studio 24 to host us the biggest, hottest, wildest night of the year. We're hoping to bring in hundreds, relaunch the campaign with an enormous burst of energy, and raise a crapload of cash.

But we need you! We need an army of Forest people to make this night everything it can be! Forest is you, you are Forest, so come join in:

Decorators: We need a crew to come along to Studio 24 early in the day and turn it into a glorious space for a glorious carnival. Think spring. Think march hares. Think a night of rejuvenation and debauchery. Go for it. E-mail Mark at feadan24@hotmail.com to join the decorators.

Runabout Crew: We're going to need Front of House volunteers, and a crew of folk to help set everything up and clean up at the end of the night. E-mail catalina.i03@gmail.com to join that crew.

Performers: Downstairs is going to be live dance bands from 7 til midnight and a DJ+VJ from midnight til 3, but we want to organise a few hours of blissed-out entertainment upstairs to pull in another crowd. Wordsmiths, jugglers, dancers, singers -- anyone who can bring joy to an audience -- get in touch. We're also hoping to get jugglers and dancers and all downstairs later in the night to really make it a carnival. E-mail harry.lodestone@gmail.com to perform.

Publicity Distribution: We're really pushing this event, and we have to bring as many people in as feasibly possible, which means publicity is going to need to be EVERYWHAR. E-mail catalina.i03@gmail.com to be part of the postering and flyering crew.

Anything Else? We'll need an army of all the talents. If you've got something to offer, let us know.

The night's looking better and better! Don't forget to send this out to all your friends, work colleagues, school mates, close and extended family members... hey, you can even send it as a Be My Valentine card! Just spread the word!

We're relaunching the SAVE THE FOREST Fundraising Campaign in spectacular style with this, the biggest, wildest, gleefullest, giddiest night of the year so far. Expect more news of what to expect soon, call-outs for volunteers, and info about the latest from the Forest fundraising campaign.

DON'T MISS IT.

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So, me, Harry and Alex from Awry had another productive meeting today.

Printer does not seem to be working, at least not from my computer. I will keep trying but if it still doesn't work to print some posters and flyers in house, Mark will spend some money and get them printed somewhere else. Either way, we'll try to have a stack of them on the counter, in the cafe, for grabs as soon as possible, hopefully tomorrow. Then poster poster poster and flyer flyer flyer!!

We still need a decoration team for the night. Brit, Cornelia, Blue, Connie... anyone interested in getting involved in that? We'd need some prep work and then the actual decorating action a few hours before the event.

Forest merchandise stall - do we have Forest merch to actually sell on the night? Can we get more t-shirts/ bags/ underwear etc. screen printed for the night (Birgit/ Chris?). Scoutt, would you be interested in being the trustworthy person to co-ordinate that? Get some ForPub/ screen printed/ Forest Records merch there on the night (find someone with wheels to help you get them there), look after them on the night and bring them back to Forest after?

Boletes, that sounds great! We need some acoustic acts for the Inky Fingers event happening upstairs. Get in touch with Harry (HGiles on the BB) for more info.

We need 1/2 people to sell tickets at the door and maybe do Ryan's job at Balkanarama, basically make sure nobody passes the ticket booth without paying. Volunteers?

As for free entrance, good point Scoutt, I'm afraid only vollies helping out on the night, bands and core organisational team will be able to get in for free. Maybe we could get a discount for people helping out before but we need to make loads of money to cover costs for the venue and actually raise some money for the Forest so we're going to be quite strict on that. Plus, all acts are playing for free.

like postering certain areas, aim for at least 20 posters in each place:newingtonthe bridgesgrassmarkettollcrossbruntsfield/marchmont/morningsideprinces stleithetc?that will make it easier. maybe people can nominate a place they'll poster?

and with flyering: take a bunch for your back pocket, give them to EVERYONE. and maybe people can let us know if they're flyering certain upcoming events?

when postering, it's good manners to ask before you put up a poster, or flyer in someone else's cafe. they will love you more for asking. bring your own blu-tack or whatever.

if you flyposter (stick poster with wallpaper paste to outside walls) Forest and or Studio 24 will probably get a fine. don't do it!

yo catalina, I'd be up for helping with the decorations and preparing the place before, maybe do it with you kata and brainstorm some ideas this weekI can also grab some poster and post round marchmont

we now have posters and flyers! come pick them up from the cafe (now in office but hopefully soon on the counter or a box in cafe) and spread them around. Kata also said she can go poster around Leith.

Mark and his band mate are organising a flyering outing on Friday evening, with music and all, meeting in Cafe at 5:50pm.

Scoutt also had the great idea that we should have a massive raffle at the Fundraiser. We can some nice prizes and have someone sell the tickets on the night.

Anyone want to be in charge of that? We already some ideas for prizes, they'd just need to co-ordinate them, get the tickets, get rid of the tickets, make money and, at the end of the night, make some people happy.

More good news, Jessy is interested in helping out with decor, she will get in touch with Kata, Cornelia and Brittonie for that... anyone else interested?

Catalina wrote:Scoutt also had the great idea that we should have a massive raffle at the Fundraiser. We can some nice prizes and have someone sell the tickets on the night.

Anyone want to be in charge of that? We already some ideas for prizes, they'd just need to co-ordinate them, get the tickets, get rid of the tickets, make money and, at the end of the night, make some people happy.

Great minds think alike! We planned to do this at the fundraising strategy meeting as well: Alex is already AP'd to get it together

Hey, will help with flyering.Also will make some earrings with forest symbolics to sell on the night.Brittonnie and me are going to make a photo stall. Where people will be able to have their picture taken. For that we will make silly figures with holes for faces.Also thinking to make a body paint stall. or cover people in glitter? something like that

Catalina wrote:Scoutt also had the great idea that we should have a massive raffle at the Fundraiser. We can some nice prizes and have someone sell the tickets on the night.

Anyone want to be in charge of that? We already some ideas for prizes, they'd just need to co-ordinate them, get the tickets, get rid of the tickets, make money and, at the end of the night, make some people happy.

C xx

regards raffle, maybe a giftpack from ForPub, ForREc, some tshirts (some of us are into the printing...) the raffle could be drawn that night, or if that's too hectic then it could be drawn later and people notified by email/phone. what do you think?

so screen-printing! let's make beautiful t-shirts and bags and nice stuff!anybody wants to help?so far I think I want to print the nice logo for the fundraiser itself. Also some forest logo and maybe we can create a third nice forest-related design? and print all these things in different colors..also I don't really know where I could get cheap shirts and bags so if someone has suggestions for that it would be very much appreciated! thanks!

Birgit there are some calico bags in the screenprinting room that I think belong to the Forest. If not, Stevie has ordered them before.we can go look in the Freeshop for more tshirts and patch fabricor we can order some fresh shiny new tshirts. wow!

Door: we decided to divide the door vollies in 2 hour shifts so that nobody goes insane or gets bored and has no fun. So there's going to be 4 shifts and we need 2 people for each: 7-9, 9-11, 11-1, 1-3. People interested in doing the door so far: Gaia, Kata, Scoutt, Keni, Shannon, Catalina... we need 2 more and maybe also let us know what times you'd like to do. Gaia and Bridget in charge of money on the night, plus float.

We still don't have someone in charge of the raffle... Anyone interestd in sorting out some prizes (we already ahve some ideas) and runnign around selling tickets on the night?

Kata and Brittonie: still up for doing the cardboard cut-outs for pictures? Scoutt was suggesting we try to get some kind of printer to somehow re-create a Photobooth and give people their photo for £1-2.

Scoutt, Lien and Brigit are on the screen printing so we get cool, fun merch to sell on the night.

We're going to have a prep meeting before the event, on Tue, March 1st at 6pm to make sure we have everything set to the last details so we'd like it if people involved on the night could try to make it because we have a very strict list of who will be getting for free.

Has anyone considered contacting the likes of that trisickle magazine mentioned in a previous post or other media to get some awareness? a few press coming to do a review type featurey thing might help out right? I can get on it if anyone has any ideas who to contact?

boletes wrote:I'm just gonna go ahead and take care of some press anyway :p

Mark and his band mate Alex have been on the press and promotion side of things so I don't exactly know what they've done. But the more teh merrier, every little helps!

Nix, thanks a lot, raffle is yours. As for prizes, might want to talk to Alex for a massage, Jamie for some beer... or anything else you can think of!

Shannon, 1-3 at the door! Keni said he might do an early one, probably 7-9. Anyone else have preferences for door times?

Oh, and everyone, don't forget this si supposed to be a carnival so fancy/ weird/ colourful/ crazy costumes are a MUST! Spread the word about this to others as well, we certainly don't want to look like the only freaks in the house!

Nix, there should be some more posters in the office and we just got in some more flyers. We can give out a case of beer (Jamie will bring some in, also for the rider), and we could also talk to Alex for a massage... Scoutt had some more ideas.

Door: Kata and Keni will be doing 7-9. Shannon 1-3am. Anyone else have any time preferences?

Also, I've talked to Scoutt and thought we could offer some of our reliable vollies who will be around the cafe on Wed and Thu a free meal if they go out and flyer around Meadows and Bristo Square for about 2h. Maybe KMs can encouragepe people who are around to go out and do it...

Also, DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE PREP MEETING TOMORROW, TUE AT 6PM IN THE CAFE!

Promotion: still need to do more flyering! There is still a box of flyers in the kitchen, up for grabs! Catalina to print mailing lists and get as many emails from the people on the night as possible, for future promo. Kat has been on writing a promo article for the Guardian blog. Also to try and get the word out more online (blogs...). Harry to keep tweeting!Newsletter (fundraising update + spring fling promo) to be sent to out today/ tomorrow

Float and money: Gaia and Bridget to get float, bring float to venue by 6.30pm, bank money at the end of the night.

Raffle: Nix on it. Prizes: case of beer, masage at Massage Corner, Mark said him and Alex could also write a song for one of the winners, on any theme/ occasion they wish.

Merch: Thanks to the screen printing team we now have t-shirts and bags, Gaia ordered badges plus forest CDs, chapbooks etc. Scoutt and Gaia will be in charge.

Transport Merch to be taken to the venue on Thu afternoon in Alex's car (from the ceilidh band). Hopefully rider and decor to be taken on Wed evening (Jamie, if he can't then maybe Ken/ Kim?) - Mark to check what time we can enter the venue on Wed and Thu, plus Fri for taking down decor and cleaning up our shit.

Decor: Action Day tomorrow, 1pm in the Hall, beautiful stuff to be made! Shirley, Kata, Mark and others already got crazy and creative. Depending on which time we can be in the venue on Thu (TBC) we will need the decor to be set up.

Stamp for the door: Mark to bring one!

Decor will need to be taken down sometime on Fri morning (time tbc by the venue). We will need volunteers for that. Anyone who got to pay entrance on the night will get their money back on Fri morning if they're willing to come help out, as I'm guessing not that many people will be crazy enthusiastic about helping out... So, let me know if anyone is.

We were talking about £100 in 1 pound coins and fivers for the float.I'll help at the merch stall! I also need to know who's gonna transport the merch to the venue and at what time on Thu so I can give them the ForPub stuff.

I have a message for you from "NixyNix" your Gameshow Host for the evening:

"Oh Kay! Thanking you so much for all you participation and facilitation during the Super Raffle Extravaganza! You gave great prizes, You won great prizes! We raised some funds! You know it! ... Special thanks to the Scoutt, Alex* and Yaz, it was beautiful, Yeah Yeah! Oh Kay!"

In total, the event made us about £1100 (final figure, after paying the venue - £250, and giving [awry] their money back for promo material - £200). Door made around £1400 (we had about 200 people), merch stall about £150 and raffle about £83. Unfortunately we don't have the exact figures anymore because we've counted the money yesterday and cashed it all in as a big total. But these should still give us a good idea of teh results...

Thank you to everyone who helped out, we had a great team of vollies, and to everyone who came and had fun! It was a great night indeed, plus we've learned from it and are going to make the next one(s) even better!

And a BIG BIG thank you to Mark, our star organiser, he made it all happen and we should all thank him in person since he doesn't have a BB account

How frequently could we organise an event like this? Could we do it once a month? or two or three months? As you do more of these, you get better at it, and make even more money. Also there is nothing better for an organisation than people coming together like this to achieve common goals AND it raises our profile!